The Somerset-Berkley gridders weren’t very lively in the first two quarters of Saturday afternoon’s game against EAC opponent Coyle-Cassidy. The third quarter was a different story.

The Blue Raiders hit the ground running at the start of the second half, scoring three touchdowns over a span of 7 minutes en route to an impressive 38-0 blowout win against the Warriors at Hanson Field. SB running back Mark Tonucci led the Raider offense with three touchdowns and 95 yards on 15 carries.

SB was ahead 8-0 at the start of the third quarter and by 3:26 they had quadrupled that cushion.

Blue Raider quarterback Joe Fingliss led his team down the field on a 9-play, 66-yard drive that ended with Tonucci’s 4-yard score at 6:40 to make it 16-0 SB, but that was just the beginning.

Coyle fumbled on the kickoff seconds later and the ball was recovered by SB’s Robert McNeil, placing it at the Warriors’ 12-yard line. Tonnuci hauled in his third touchdown of the game at 5:53. The Warriors experienced déjà vu at 5:21, turning the ball over again for the second time in under a minute, setting the Raiders up for another score. Fingliss’ handoff to Zack Estrella resulted in a 7-yard run that made it 32-0 Raiders with 3:26 remaining in the third.

SB backup QB Justin Duarte stepped in for Fingliss with under two minutes remaining in the last quarter and his handoff to sophomore RB Kyle Crombie ended with a 35-yard touchdown run, capping the Raiders’ scoring for the afternoon.

Chip Wood totaled 88 yards on 14 carries for SB.

The Blue Raiders racked up 283 offensive yards on the afternoon and held the Warriors to only 106.

“It was nice to get the win in,” SB head coach Nick Freitas said. “The defense wore down a little in the first half but they got a good talking to and they came out and responded. The defense bent but certainly didn’t break for us.”

The win was the first of the season for the Blue Raiders (1-3 overall, 1-0 EAC), and their first at the new stadium.

Coyle struggled to hold onto the football, tallying four fumbles and an interception.

The Warriors’ best chance to get on the board was their opening drive. CC quarterback Collin Duggan handed the ball to teammate Josh Cobb, who ran it 60 yards into the Raiders’ end zone for what looked like a touchdown at 8:24, but the Warriors suffered a penalty after a block in the backfield, erasing the score. With the ball spotted at the CC 26, Duggan gave the ball to CJ Malloch, but the Raiders forced a fumble, which was recovered by Jacob Cabana.

That same fumble allowed SB to chalk up their first score of the game at 1:36 in the first, thanks to Tonucci’s 10-yard touchdown.